Apparatus for applying and adjusting the fellies of wooden vehicle wheels



Sept. 1, 1925. 1,552,120

. H. DAVIS APPARATUS FOR APPLYING AND ADJUSTING THE FELLIES' OF WQODEN VEHICLE WHEELS Fi led oct. 1923 I N VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,552,120 PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM DAVIS, OE CAMDEN, NEW-JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING AND ADJUSTING THE FELLIES or WOODEN VEHICLE WHEELS.

Application filed October 11, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for Applying and Adjusting the F ellies of l Vooden Vehicle Wheels, of which the following is'a speci fication.

My invention relates to means or apparatus for applying and adjusting the fellies or rims of wooden vehicle wheels and it has for one of its objects to provide an improved simple and efficient means whereby the sections of fellies or rims may be applied and drawn tightly against the shoulders upon the spokes between the tongues or tenons thereof and the bodies of the same.

A further object of my invention is to provide an apparatus in which a series or plurality of tightening devices are adapted to be employed at intervals radially of the wheel and progressively tightened to gradually force a section of felly or rim into place upon the tongues or tenons of the spokes.

A still further object of my invention is to provide supplemental means which is adapted to co-operate and to be used inconnection with said tightening means for adjusting the respective spokes into alinement with the radial hole in the felly or.

rim into which its tongue or tenon should extend or project. r

Still another object of myinvention is to provide means which is adapted to be used in co-operation, with the tightening means for expanding or pushing outwardly some portion of the section of the telly or rim which is being placed and fitted upon the tongues or tenons of the spokes. However, such expanding means is adapted for use independently of the tightening means for removing the fellies or rims from the spokes of wheels.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be pointed out inthe detailed description thereof which follows or will be apparent from such description.

In order that my invention may be readily understood and its many practical advantages more fully appreciated, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which I liave' illustrated one form' of enibodiment thereof. However, it will. be un- -line 2-2of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a'transverse sectional view taken Serial No. 667,820.

-a wheel, the said wheel being shown in plan, and the said view also including an expanding device, the said device being shown merely for the purpose of indicating the manner of its use; s

Fig. 2 is a sectionalview taken on'the in a vertical plane along the dash anddot line 3 of Fig. 1 and terminating within the hub of the wheel; and v 4 p Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4+4; of Fig. 1. i e Referring to the drawing: 1 and "1 designate two sections forming the felly or rim of the wheel. The ends of the said sections abut at the points 1 and 1". The sections 1 and 1 of the rim are connected by means of the spokes'2with the hub 3. The hub wit-h the spokes 2 carried thereby is supported upon a plate 13 which in turn rests and is supported upon; the upper end of a pedestal 13 and is secured thereon by means of an anchor bolt or rod 14 and a nut 15 and a washer 24 upon the outer end portion of said-bolt.

The rim or felly applying and tightening means will now be described: Anchor bands which in the construction shown are in the form of chains 4 and l encircle hub 3 in planes above and below the spokes 2. To these chains the intermediate connecting or anchor plates 5 are connected. Connection of said plates to the chains't and' l is cffected by passing the said chains through tension rods 7, the said'rods being referred to as tension rods becauseintheir use: they are subjected to stretching tension when the rim or felly is being drawn inwardly upon the tenons or tongues of the spokes. The links 6. and tension rods 7 are arranged in c'ot'iples as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and the said couples are respectively designated by the reference letters (a, [9 0.; d, e, and V The outer ends of the tension rods '7 of the respective couple's extend through bars or blocks 9 and 10, the said bars or blocks being held upon the said rods by means of the washers and nuts 11 and 12. shown inthe drawing, there are two of these barsor blocks, but it will be under stood that the number may be increased orthat one of them may be removed leaving only one bar or block. The necessity for such addition or removal will depend upon the size or diameter or radius of the rim or felly being placed in position For the purpose of supporting the respective couples of tension rods and the bars or blocks 9 and 10 in proper position with relation to the rim or felly as shown in Fig. 2, I have provided the supporting or positioning blocks 8 upon the uppermost rods 7of the respective couples, the lower ends of which blocks rest upon the upper side of the rim or felly. By this means the central portions of the bars or blocks 9 and 10 are caused to contact with or abut against the outer peripheral surface of the rim or felly.

For the purpose of adjusting the respective spokes laterally in order that the tonguesor tenons thereof may be positioned in alinement with the radial holes through the folly or rim, I have providedthe device shown in Fig- 4 comprising admin 19, although a band or rope may be substituted for the chain. The opposite-ends of the chain are connected to the hool zed ends '19 and 19 ofa yoke 20. One at least of. the chain 19 should be det'achably engaged with one of the hooks of the yoke 20as; for instance, thehook 19 The yoke 20 is provided with a central screw threadcd opening as indicated at 20 through which a screw threaded rod extends, the said rod haying upon itsouter end cross bar 23 by means of which it may be turned so as to adjust it in or out with respect to the said yoke: Upon its inner end the rod 22 is provided with a reduced portion. 22? upon which is rotatably mount:- eda'bearing portion or pad 21 which is adapted to contact with one side" of a spoke 2: The chain 19 connected to the hooks 19* and .19 extends around an adjacent spoke 2. as shown. in Fig; 4. The device shown in t having been placed in position as shown relative adjustment of the spelt-es may be effected by screwing the screw threaded rod 22 inwardly. Assuming that the tongue or tenon of the spoke 2 shown at the right hand side of Fig. 4 is in engagement with an opening in a rim or felly section and that the opposite adjacent spoke 2 is out of alinement and beyond the hole.

right through such distance asnrany be necessary.

In the employment of the, apparatus in the placing of the sections of rims or fellies upon the spokes of woodenw'h-eels, it is customary to employ the said radial links 6, tension rods 7 and the rim contracting bars of blocks 9 and 10 in the spaces be tween each pair ofspokes and, as shown in th crawing, a connecting'plate 5 is placed in position at the inn-er ends of said spaces. However, it is deemed unnecessary be show a. setof contracting. devices or means in each of the said spaces.

Assuming that it is desired to placethe ritn or felly section- 1 upon the spokes of the wheel, we will start with the right hand end thereof and will place it in" position with the first spoke above the tension rods of the couple a in alinement with and with its tongue or tenon entering the hole 30 within the rim or fell-y section 1. The tension: rods of the couple-a and the contracting or clip blocks-9 and 10 are placed in position and the nuts 12 screwed up so as tohold the rim upon the tongue or tenon of said spoke. Also the tongue or tenon of the next succeeding spoke below the couplc a of tension rods is entered into the hole 31 and the nuts 12 of successive couple Z2, of tensioning and tightening rods are adjusted and screwed inwardly to force inwardly a si iccessi ve portion of the rim or felly section i toward the left hand end thereof and such operations are continued until finally. the entire section is placed in position upon the spokes. As the process continues and the tongues or tenons of succeeding spokes enter the holes through the rims or fellie'sprovide-d thereforgthe nuts'upon' suc ce'ssive tensioning or tightening rods are tightened or screwed inwardly soas to 'grada u'al-ly force succeeding portions of the felly section 1. toward: the left 1nwa-rdl'yi If r it be assumed that thesection l' -has already li ttl from contracting sufficiently to cause them to fit closely against the shoulders between the tongues or tenons and the body pertions of the spokes. In such case the length of the rim or felly may be shortened removing short or thin sections from one or more ends of the sections 1 or 1 or both and thereby permit the desired contraction of the said sections.

By the employment of the apparatus as thus far described embodying my invention, it will be seen that the rim or felly sections may be drawn tightly into position so that when the. metal tire is placed upon the said rim or folly and shrunk the said sections will be forced inwardly firmly and tightly against the shoulders at the inner ends of the tongues or tenons of the spokes and no unnecessary strain will be imposed upon the rim 0r felly itself. By reason of this the wheel will not have the defect of being tire bound, which defect is now by no means uncommon in the case of wheels in which the rims or follies have been placed in position upon the spokes without adequate means of drawing and ad justing the same inwardly in close fitting contact with the shoulders of the spokes at the inner ends of the tongues or tenons thereof.

In Fig. 3 and also at the top of Fig. 1, I have shown means for removing a rim or felly from the spokes of a wheel, the said means comprising the plate 5 and expansion or expanding devices comprising internally screw-threaded tubular members 16 hav ing hooks 16 at the inner ends thereof, the said hooks facing inwardly and engaging the inner edges of the holes 5 in the upper and lower ends of the plates 5 and rods 17 having screw-threaded inner end portions which engage the internal screwthreads of the tubular members 16. Each of the said rods 17 is provided with a relatively stationary collar 18 (which may be welded or otherwise secured thereto) which is seated against the inner side of an expansion or push bar or block 18". The outer end portion of the uppermost of the rods- 17 of'the respective couples of expanding devices, assuming that there are a number of couples thereof, extends through a block 18 the lower end of which rests upon the upper side of the rim felly so as to sustain the said expansion bar or block 18 in proper position with respect to the said rim or felly. The outer end of each of the said rods 17 is squared or of other ploygonal shape in cross section. as indicated at 18, for the reception of means for turning the said rods so as to adjust them outwardly or inwardly with respect to the member 16of the expanding or pushing means. By turning the rods 17 of couple so as to extend the same with respect to the members 16 of such couple the collars 18 push the expanding bars or blocks 18 outwardly and force the rim or felly off the tongues or tenons of the spokes.

.lt will be seen that I have provided an apparatus which is well adapted not only for the applying of rims or follies to Wooden vehicle wheels in the construction tl ereof but also one'which may be adapted for use in the removal of the rims or fellies from the said spokes in case ,removal should be desired. It will be understood,

however, that my invention is not to be restricted to the particular or specific use in connection with which it is herein described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of anchor plates arranged adjacent the hub of a wheel and intermediate the spokes thereof, means for connecting said anchor plates to said hub and supporting the same in position, blocks adapted to contact with one side or the other of the rim of a wheel and means between the said anchor plates and the said blocks and connected thereto for actuating the said blocks to cause the same to exert force upon the said felly.

2. In apparatus for applying a felly to a wheel, the combination of anchor bands encircling the hub of such wheel, anchor plates connected to said bands, contracting members situated upon the outer sides of the said folly and adapted to contact with the periphery thereof, tightening means having connection at their inner ends with the said anchor plates and at their outer ends with the said contracting members. and means for forcing the said contracting -members inwardly upon the said tightening means for exerting external inwardly directed force upon the periphery of said felly.

3. In apparatus for applying a fellv' to a wooden vehicle wheel. the combination of anchoring bands encircling the hub of a wheel in planes above and below the inner ends of the spokes thereof, tightening rods arranged in couples, the rods of each couple being situated in planes extending. transversely of the plane of the wheel and intermediate adjacent spokes means for connecting the inner ends of the said tightening rods to .the said anchorin bands. contracting bars situated externally of the folly of said wheel and adapted to contact with the periphery thereof, the said bars having connection with the outer ends of said tightening rods, and means for forcing the said contracting bars inwardly upon said rods tion of anchoring bands encircling; the hub of the wheel in planes above and below the inner ends of the said spokes, vertically arranged connecting plates secured to the said bands and situated in the angles between adjacent spokes a couple of tightening rods having connection at their inner ends with the said plates, contracting bars secured at their outer ends to the said tightening rods and means for forcing the said contracting bars inwardly to force the telly inwardly upon the tongues of the said spokes. I

5. In apparatus for placing a tellyupon the spokes of a wooden vehicle wheel, the combination of anchor bands encircling the ,hub of a wheel in planes above and below the inner ends of the spokes thereof, connecting plates extending in parallel relation to the axis of the said hub, the. said plates being situated in the angles between adjacent spokes and being connected to the said anchor bands a couple of tightening rods having connection at their inner ends with each of the said connecting plates one of the said rods being; connected to the upper end of a plate and the other to the lower end thereof, a contracting bar secured to the outer ends of each couple of the said In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereunto signed my name this 26th day of September, 1923.

HIRAM DAVIS. 

